Tag Archives: Being a reader

Saturdays @ the South: On Reading Fairy Tales

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Whenever someone discusses Fairy Tales, this is the quote that always jumps to my mind.  Last weekend, I read an interesting post on Book Riot that got me thinking about it again. In the post, Morgan Jerkins talked about sanitizing fairy tales and how vehicles like Disney and publishers often “clean up” a story to make it more palatable to young children. For example, there’s nothing in the Disney movies about how Cinderella’s stepsisters mutilated their feet to try and fit into the slipper or how the little mermaid was asked to murder her paramour in order to keep her legs when her original bargain with the sea witch didn’t pan out. When Jerkins talks about omissions like these, she mentions that the original stories weren’t designed to entertain children, but simultaneously seems to look down up on the Disney-fied versions that most kids are exposed to.

As someone who grew up with access to both the Disney versions of fairy tales and a collection of the less-sanitized versions I have to say that the childhood me vastly preferred the Disney versions. The original fairy tales were, no pun intended, quite grim, but while I think I was profoundly altered for having read them (as is any reader who reads something powerful or memorable), I don’t remember them horrifying me. I wasn’t terrified of cannibalism after the witch tried to cook Hansel and Gretel for dinner and I still loved wolves even after the huntsman cut one open to rescue Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma. I particularly remember reading Andersen’s The Little Mermaid well before the movie first came out. The imagery of the mermaid being turned into seafoam when her deals with the witch went awry was a powerful one that has stuck with me even into adulthood, but not one that overshadowed my enjoyment of watching Ariel and Sebastian sing underwater.

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If you can get this image out of your mind, you’re a better one than I am…

Knowing fairy tales in any form can greatly enrich not only a reading experience, but the imaginative experience as well. Referring to Scheherazade may conjure up any or all of the stories from the 1001 Arabian Nights or it can refer to themes of magic and female heroism under pressure. Mentioning Cinderella may or may not make someone think of talking (and singing) mice, but it will most likely make them think of themes family discord. Snow White may or may not have a poisoned apple or glass coffin, but the themes of jealousy and innocence remain. As long as these tales remain embedded in our culture, the ideas that they bring forth in the mere mention of these stories can bring out new levels of understanding in any text. We owe it not only to our children, but to ourselves to perpetuate these stories in some form or other, if only to know what some other writers are talking about.

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When I hear people talking about fairy tales, it’s often an either/or situation. One argument vilifies the sanitized versions for being too rosy or creating unrealistic expectations, particularly in young girls and believes that the original fairy tales will be lost,  to our culture’s detriment. The opposite argument feels the original stories are too violent or disturbing for young readers and children should be exposed to more uplifting tales. Each argument has its merits and detractions. As a librarian, what I’m most concerned with is allowing people to express themselves in whatever way they choose. If someone interprets a story in a particular way, we should recognize and respect that as an artistic choice.

Here are some books (including a few personal favorites) that not only refer to fairy tales, but are the authors’ artistic expressions and explorations of them, developing surprising stories for some favorite characters and defying expectations of what these stories can be.

3488974While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

In this hauntingly beautiful retelling of Sleeping Beauty puts a much more realistic spin on the tale. In a medieval town plagued by smallpox, a young maid learns the trials and tribulations of life at large while she is fascinated by the courtesans she serves and their seemingly charmed lives inside the grand palace walls. After hearing her great-granddaughter recounting the tale of a young princess in a tower being awakened by a handsome prince, the aging maid’s memories of her young life return, and she tells the real story behind the legend, one that sheds light on what it truly takes to achieve “happily ever after.”

3569291The Witch and other Tales Re-told by Jean Thompson

This collection of stories has been on my to-read list for a while, precisely because it seeks to illuminate alternate versions of commonly told, recognizable fairy tales. Focusing on the original tales’ abilities to capture our deeper, more primal fears, Thompson explores modern tales that “capture the magic and horror in everyday life” (goodreads.com)

3437613Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is the first in Meyer’s popular Lunar Chronicles series. It may not be for everyone, but this book is certainly a fascinating re-imagining on a traditional fairy tale. Cinder is a cyborg with a mysterious past and a stepmother who blames Cinder for her stepsister’s illness, but she may also be the only one who can save the humans and androids from a deadly plague that’s ravaging the earth. If you can’t get enough of the Lunar Chronicles, Meyer is obliging with more in the series continuing with Scarlett, then Cress and ending it with Winter, which will be out in November.

3617831The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth

This new title from Forsyth tells of a young woman, Dortchen Wild, in love. The person she’s in love with just happens to be Wilhelm Grimm. Amidst the tyranny of Napoleon Buonaparte who is trying to take over Europe, including the small German town in which she and Grimm live, Dortchen will tell Grimm wild tales that he’ll ultimately collect and will fuel his and his brother’s book of collected tales. This isn’t Forsyth’s first take on fairy tales, either. If you enjoy this book, you may also want to take a look at her take on Rapunzel in Bitter Greens.

15858Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one book by Gregory Maguire here, as he’s made a delightful career out of re-telling well-known tales, as he did in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. In this novel Maguire weaves historical details and actual locations into fairy tales, while retaining some of the magic that the original tales possess. Set in the rolling hills of Tuscany during the height of the de Medici reign, a young Bianca de Nevada must seek refuge, and possibly salvation in the forests, away from her once-happy home. The lush, poetic prose in this book only makes me even more eager to see what his take will be on Wonderland in After Alice, which is due out this October.

Till next week, dear readers, I leave you in the capable hands of Albert Einstein:

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Thinking about heroines…

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Our sensational posts from the South and West Branches this week  got me thinking about books (ok, let’s be frank…almost everything get me thinking about books).  I thought about previous posts on women whose literary contributions are continually under-valued by the publishing world, and women like Jeannette Rankin, who had to struggle all their lives to be the heroine of their own story.  I was fortunate enough to learn about her in grade-school, and she had an indescribable impact on me.

And that got me thinking about the characters that we meet in growing up.  How many books describe people becoming the heroes of their own story, and changing their world because of their actions?  Any number of them…in fact, in a way, every book is a kind of coming of age tale…But how many of those books feature a woman, not just as a main character, but as the heroine?  I don’t know about you, but it took me a moment to come up with some that weren’t genre-specific romance novels, or stories that forced women to survive impossible odds, like The Hunger Games…a sensational book, no doubt, but there is a difference between acting and reacting, about choosing and being chosen that I think is very important.

Perhaps is isn’t a big deal.  If a book is well-written and the characters vivid enough, there is no reason that I, as a female, can’t relate to a male characters.  I was entranced by,  and cheered for Harry Potter as much as I did for Katniss Everdeen.  Characters are usually human, just as I am human, and therefore, our emotions are, on some level, equitable, and our struggles share many common elements.

But there are things to consider here; because the truth is that it’s comparatively easy to be a hero.  Privilege is a powerful thing, that often gets overlooked in many coming-of-age tales.  Harry Potter isn’t judged for his looks, or ostracized for his intelligence in the same way Hermione is.  He doesn’t have to prove himself and justify his existence day after day after day in the same way she does.  Harry has challenges, certainly, but he is also given room to discover who he is and what he can do in a way that Hermione doesn’t.  Also…what was the big controversy over Hermione’s character after the series’ finale?  It was whom she (should have) married in the end.  Ahem.  I can think of plenty of other examples, but for now, in honor of a week of celebrating women being excellent, I thought I’d add a few books featuring heroines who are excellent, starting with some of the younger ones.  So, without further ado…

IF you’d like some more heroines in your life, Then check out…

1484097Matilda: This book was my salvation as a seven-year-old who was in the process of outgrowing fairy stories and felt utterly out-of-place in reality.  And into the breach swooped Roald Dahl, and his wondrously wise, bookish, and charmingly out-of-place heroine. Stifled by parents who can’t appreciate her, and forced to attend a school with a head-mistress who is just this side of Satanic, Matilda uses all the untapped power in her brain to make the impossible happen, and to defend those around her who need her strength and courage.  And though Matilda finds a forever-friend in her beloved teacher, Miss Honey, she doesn’t need anyone else in her life to make her the powerhouse character she is.  I don’t care if this is marketed as a kid’s book…Dahl has the uncanny, and occasionally terrifying power to tell a story about a child in a way that will speak to all ages.  And if you like this book, check out the musical as well.  It’s one of the few musical adaptations I can say hit the proverbial nail on its proverbial head.

1483377Catherine Called BirdyKaren Cushman is just generally a sensation writer, but this book, especially, is something to remember.  Catherine, called Little Bird, or Birdy, is the thirteen-year-old daughter of English country knight, whose keeps a daily diary.  Cushman does a marvelous job weaving all the unchanging aspects of being a teenager–the agonizing process of trying to grow up, the need for approval and the desire to be different, the highs and lows of falling in love–with enough historic detail to ground this book very firmly in its medieval setting.  Because this book is Birdy’s diary, her voice comes through every page, strong and clear, and despite the fact that her marriage and her fate is never, and may never be in her own hands, given her time and circumstances, there is no way this witty, sarcastic, and wholly original young woman will not be the one to tell her tale.

2095295Alanna: The First Tale: Pierce was one of the first women to write fantasy novels about young women for young women that encouraged them to be precisely who and what they wanted.  She never shies away from what it might cost these heroines in the process, but also ensures that the rewards for their courage and self-reliance can be truly great.  This is the first book in her series about Alanna, the younger of two twins, who decides to become a knight so that her brother can go study magic.  Becoming a knight means far more than sword fights, and armor, however, and Alanna herself turns out to be far more than a fighter–so much so that her story inspired a series, and a number of spin-off stories set in the same world.

I hope these stories inspire you to go out and be remarkable today!  Happy Reading!

Saturdays @ the South: Women & Fiction

6a00d83451b01369e201b8d08b9d2f970c-piThis week, I read an article in which an author described how, after submitting a novel to agents and publishers and receiving discouraging responses from the few who responded to her at all, she decided to submit her novel to the same group of people posing as a male author. She received several responses right away (this was on a weekend, mind you) from people who wanted to set up a meeting immediately and discuss her manuscript. Sadly, I should have been more surprised than I was when I read this. While this is just one woman’s experience, I fear that it still displays a bias that is prevalent in literature today. Men still dominate the publishing world, despite strides that have been made by women over the last 60 years or so.

Clearly this is not a new struggle. The Bronte sisters are among a host of pre-20th Century authors who published under male woman and bookspseudonyms hoping that it would open doors for them. It’s easy to think that this issue is an outdated problem associated with the misogyny of a less-illuminated, pre-women’s movement time. However, male or androgynous pen names are still being used in modern literature. For example, despite what ultimately became a smashing success that altered the landscape of children’s literature, J.K. Rowling’s publishers asked her to change her first name to something more neutral so that it would attract more “boy readers.”

The problem extends beyond the perception of women writers, though. Sources are beginning to notice that men are published more often than women and are reviewed (which to many means, taken more seriously) more often than women. It is precisely this bias that incited author Kamila Shamsie to put out a call for publishers to spend a year (2018) publishing only women authors as a way to rectify the imbalance in the world of literature. So far, only one publisher has taken up the cause. What’s been called Shamsie’s “provocation” has been a way to at least call attention to the existing gaps.

This is not to say that men don’t write amazing things or that male authors don’t have any further relevance in contemporary literature.  Both men and women comprise my list of favorite authors (though in light of what I’m writing here, I feel compelled to admit that there are more men than women on that list) and men are still publishing great things. As a society seeking gender equality, beginning a conversation in which inequalities are exposed can only help us achieve what we’re striving for. Nothing can change if no one discusses the problem and everyone assumes things are as they should be. We shouldn’t stop reading what men write if we enjoy it, but discovering what women have to offer can’t hurt either.

Here are some suggestions by women authors that are worth exploring:

3370887The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Known largely for Eat, Pray, Love, Gilbert is quite possibly more honest, lyrical and exciting in her fiction than her non-fiction or even her TED talks. This story follows Alma Whittaker a 19th-Century naturalist as she searches for truth and meaning and science in the study of plant life. As she gains more experience, she publishes her work and blazing a trail into the burgeoning thoughts of evolutionary theory. While she falls in love, is caretaker for her father and has overseas adventures throughout the novel it is Alma’s meticulousness in observation and her ability to forge her own path that makes this such a compelling read. Gilbert has researched and created a richly detailed, highly complex historical figure with whom the reader can truly sympathize precisely because she is so real on the page.

3186189The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

This is a book that could easily get dismissed as a work of the oft-vilified term “chick-lit.” In all honesty, I was fully prepared not to like it. Diffenbaugh proved me very wrong. This is a layered work, in part following the exploits of a newly-emancipated foster child, Victoria Jones as she is left to face life on her own and also exploring the troubled past that has led her to where she is now. Diffenbaugh explores the themes of love, heartache and the qualities that truly make a family with the underlying current of the language of flowers, the Victorian ideal of meaning for specific blooms. The story is heartbreaking, touching and completely engrossing.

2144240The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Lahiri is immensely talented in portraying the displacement of a cultural outsider and the struggle of an immigrant to fit into a new world of ideals and customs. Her Pulitzer-Prize winning Interpreter of Maladies displayed this talent in short form. In The Namesake, her first novel, she explores these themes amidst family dynamics as the Gangulis, struggle to balance their new life with their cultural Bengali traditions and settling into their new home. Their son, Gogol, struggles with his own identity, reflecting what his parents and traditions expect versus what he, himself wishes to become and on his own terms. This book is beautifully written and deeply engaging.

3012948Bossypants by Tina Fey

This isn’t a work of fiction, and I’ve mentioned it on the blog before, but amidst her reflections on her own life, Fey espouses many of the same feminist thoughts and notes similar traits in the comedy world that sparked the debate in gender inequality in publishing. the writing is smart, funny with a healthy dose of sarcasm, making her entry into the gender inequality conversation delightfully palatable.

2131610Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende

Part of what’s so great about the Classics book group at the Main library, is that the group is open to reconsidering what is and is not a “classic.” This was a selection last fall and while it is not technically a classic in the traditional sense of the term, many felt that it was bound to become one. Allende writes soulfully about longing and loss, coming of age and coming into one’s own and somehow manages to frame these themes in a globe-trotting historical adventure that is both riveting and heartwarming from cover to cover.

Bonus picks:

2260048Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I know, I know. This book and its ensuing miniseries have already been discussed by both me and the Library’s own version of a Bloggess (who has been faithfully posting despite her London locale). I will not further entrench all of you into the delights of the magical alternate-England that Clarke has created. Nor will I wax on about her engaging, highly-readable prose that captures the reader upon the first syllable. Instead, I offer this book solely as evidence for the naysayers who claim that women can’t write engaging, complex, well thought-out male characters. Magic aside, Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell are as realistic on the page as any flesh-and-blood man.

2941777In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

The Library’s community Big Read this September happens to be written by a woman and this book is a wonderful example of the transformative power of prose. Alvarez treats the story of the Mirabal sisters with sensitivity, but not kid gloves, shedding light on a dark period of Dominican history that I’m sure many would rather keep hidden (hence the book’s status as a Banned Book). Who knows, maybe she’ll have something to say about the status of women in the literary world when she Skypes with the Library on September 2nd.

That’s this week’s dispatch from the South Branch. Till we meet again next Saturday, keep on reading whatever you enjoy, but consider reading one of these or other woman authors and have your own part in the conversation.

 

Saturdays @ the South: Read it before you see it? That is the question.

read_or_watchI spent a lovely and engaging seven weeks watching Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on BBC America, the adaptation of Susannah Clarke’s tome set in a magic-infused England that, sadly, ended last Saturday. The show was fantastic; magical, funny and suspenseful in all the right places. This mini-series was an unusual experience for me because I hadn’t read the book prior to watching the show. I remember remarking how it was nice to see something like this and be able to take it in fairly unprejudiced. I knew little about the book except for it’s existence and that the premise intrigued me so when I watched the series, I was able to take it in with fresh eyes and experience the twists and turns (and there were plenty!) with surprise. I plan to read the book (it’s been on my to-read list for a while now) but I’m wondering just how much my reading of the book will be affected by what I’ve seen.

When I read the book before seeing the movie, my view of the movie is definitely colored by what I’ve read. Recently, I was eager to see Still Alice because, despite the utterly sad and somewhat helpless feeling it left me with, Lisa Genova’s book was richly detailed, well-researched and truly moved me. I felt for Alice and through her I felt that I could somewhat better comprehend the cloud people with Alzheimer’s live in. I wondered as I read the book, how this-or-that detail would come across in the movie and whether or not certain scenes would translate onto film the way they did in my head. So I was sorely disappointed when many of the details that I thought gave the story so much of its emotional impact were left out of the movie entirely. This happens a lot with me (and I have it on good authority that it happens to some of my friends, too, so at least I’m in good company) but more often with books than with movies, I get emotionally attached to certain parts of the book (or in some cases the entire book) and feel crushed that a part that I loved so much in print was left out or interpreted differently.

There’s also the flip side, where reading a book after seeing the movie can leave me confused or find it difficult to get into the book. I had this experience with Wicked. Before you check the catalog, there’s no movie version (yet… I hear one is in the works) but I saw the musical before I was able to read Gregory Maguire’s fantastic book. I love both the way one might love two children: equally, fervently but with different reasons for each because they are so different themselves. When I picked up the book after seeing the show I completely lost! Maguire’s Wicked, for me is a read-more-than-once book anyway, but the show and book took on different themes, different events. I was confused and frustrated; why couldn’t I plug in some of Stephen Schwartz’s great songs into the text? I eventually appreciated the book for its own beauty and its own story, but it certainly did take me a while.

So there is the great conundrum of book-to-movie (or musical) adaptations. Which to do first: read or watch? And once you choose, how happy are you with your decision? There’s no right or wrong way to read a book (or see a movie for that matter) so there’s no right answer here, but with the host of adaptations coming this fall, which path will you choose? Here are some adaptations coming out this fall and links to their accompanying books. Hopefully, this might help you decide….

3209695Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Riding the success of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Charlize Theron stars in this adaptation of one of Flynn’s earlier works. Libby Day witnessed the murder of her family as a young child and testifies against her older brother Ben, but later in life she starts to question what really happened that night.

1945843A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is the first author who introduced me to the wonderful world of travel memoirs and I have him to thank for my go-to “beach reading” genre. This is the book that started it all for me. I read it in public and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud and disturbing everyone. Several times. A middle-aged family man tries to find himself and decides to trek the Appalachian Trail with the only friend crazy enough to go with him. Naturally, hilarity ensues; though, this was very likely a case of not-so-funny-when-it-happened…. This adaptation stars Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.

3208730Black Mass by Dick Lehr & Gerard O’Neill

Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch star in this adaptation of the book written  by two former Boston Globe reporters who worked on Whitey Bulger stories since his rise in the 1970s. When John Connolly, who knew Bulger in childhood tries to indoctrinate the king of the Irish mob as an informant for the FBI, the two powers clash; their deal spirals out of control and into drug-dealing, racketeering and murder.


3459381The Martian
 by Andy Weir

Astronaut Mark Watney is one of the first people to walk on Mars, and may well be the first person to die there after his team accidentally leaves him behind on the red planet during a freak storm. He’ll need to use every skill he has in order to survive. This adaptation stars Matt Damon.

1987353In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

During the peak of the whaling boom off of Nantucket, the whaleship The Essex set sail and was sunk 15 months into its voyage by sperm whales who attacked the ship. If this story sounds a bit familiar, it should. This is the real-life encounter that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Nathaniel Philbrick, author and historian describes what the survivors of the wreck went through in their attempts to survive. The adaptation stars Benjamin Walker and Chris Hemsworth.

Till next week, dear readers, I hope you enjoy whatever you’re reading or watching.

A word on endings…

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Back when I was twelve, I read A Particular Book by A Particular Author (we don’t actually have it in our system, so we shall let this particular tome reside in infamy).  I loved this book, adored the characters, and couldn’t wait to find out how they would conquer all the enemies ranged against them and survive.  There was also a love triangle in this book, as well, and I knew, down in my bones, with every fiber of my being which of the two suitors this heroine should marry.  In the end, the protagonists triumphed, as they should, and all seemed well.  And then…

The heroine picked the wrong guy.

This was pretty much my reaction.
This was pretty much my reaction.

I mean, nothing against him.  As an adult, I can see that choosing this particular hero was the heroine’s way of accepting the changes in herself, and her willingness to begin a new life.  But to my twelve-year-old heart, he was just wrong.  Not to mention that the hero on whom I had pinned all my hopes and dreams was left crushed and lonely, sitting on a train bound for New York.

So, being the mature reader I was (and still am), I threw the book against a wall and refused to speak to anyone for two days.

Since then, I have managed to accept that all books will not end the way I want them to end.  I still don’t like it, but I try to bear in mind the words of Frank Herbert, author of the Dune sagas: “There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”

Those words have saved many books from being hurled against walls, and also saved many relationships, as the excuse “I just read a book that ended badly!” only works so many times when one is trying to explain why one can’t stop crying/can’t stop yelling/can’t get out of bed today.  As we discussed a few weeks ago in regards to the release of Go Set A Watchman, the characters we love, and the worlds they inhabit don’t always exist solely in an author’s imagination.  They become part of us, and we become part of them.

This gives us, as readers, a certain amount of agency over the things we read.  For me, books that I love are a lot like home movies.  They start, and they stop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the characters cease to exist when the action stops (unless they die, and their world is obliterated by aliens, or something like that).  They are still alive in some kind of Land of Unwritten Books, where readers, like you and I, can imagine their further adventures.

In the Land of Unwritten Books, which I have just named, and to which I will now continually refer, lovers can be reunited, despite any distance that may separate them, the detective always gets his crook…or the crook finds a clever way to escape…the magician’s wife finds a final spell…the hero comes home in time…the missing letter gets delivered at last, and everyone is home in time for tea.

For me, that poor hero, alone in his train car, returns to New York, and meets another woman who challenges him, who makes him laugh, and helps him recover from the rejection he received at the end of That Particular Book.  Perhaps he thinks back on those times with a bittersweet fondness, but in the Land of Unwritten Books, he isn’t sad or lonely for very long.  No one needs to be, if that is how we, as readers wish it–at least in our own minds.  That may not change the outcome on the final page, but it may make your heart a little lighter when you get there.

 

 

Saturdays @ the South: An Ode to Audiobooks

AUDIOBOOK_DOWNLOADS_RAINBOW_BOOKS_WITH_HEADPHONESMuch like the books discussed in last week’s post, audiobooks are sometimes maligned. Many think that audiobooks are only for the elderly, infirm or visually impaired because: why else would someone listen to a book when you can read the paper (or electronic) version? As adults, haven’t we moved beyond storytimes and someone reading to you?

Regular readers of this blog are already familiar with my positive opinion on adults reading children’s books, so I strongly believe that we never get too old to have a story of any type read to us. However, audiobooks are more than just listening to a story. They are an alternate way to engage with a book. Whenever someone reads a book (in any format) they impose something of themselves onto the story. Essentially, different people get different things out of the same book. When you listen to an audiobook, you are listening to the interpretation of an actor, reader or sometimes the author him/herself. This interaction with someone else’s ideas of what the book represents (passive though it may be) automatically introduces the listener to a different viewpoint, teasing things out that you may or may not have noticed reading the book without a narration.

Audiobooks are also a great way to multi-task. For anyone who has ever said, “I would love to read more but don’t have the time,” then it might be time to consider audiobooks. For the longest time, I got frustrated during my commute to work thinking it was 20 minutes each way that could be better spent. Namely, I wished I was reading. And then it dawned on me that there was a way I *could* read while I was driving and have been hooked on audiobooks ever since. I still read paper books and e-books, but listening to books has offered me an additional way to read. And they’re not just for commuters. We have several patrons here at the South Branch who enjoy listening to audiobooks while they’re doing housework or gardening.

There is another great feature to audiobooks that you simply cannot experience in print form. Some authors and publishers take the audiobook as a form of art and creative expression in and therefore throw in some “treats” for the listener. In some cases, it will be a performance reading with a full cast covering each different character. Sometimes the listener gets to see different sides of the author as he/she reads the work in different voices to tease out different characters and dialog. In other cases, it’s the opportunity for the insertion of an audio track that enhances the book and makes it a one-of-a-kind reading/listening experience.

As you can probably tell by now, I love audiobooks and all of the different dimensions they bring to my reading and I know plenty of others who do as well. But like everything else in the world of reading, audiobooks are a matter of taste and experimentation. I have a friend who listens to audiobooks of all types, but finds she prefers to listen to dialog-heavy books and loses patience with audiobooks that have extended monologues or descriptions because, if she was reading it in print, she would probably skim those parts. My mom enjoys some audiobooks, but found that she couldn’t listen to mystery or suspense books in the car because she would get too engrossed in the story! (You know it’s a great book when you miss your exit or stop on the train, but safety does come first.) I have another friend who enjoys audiobooks, but likes books that are well-read or have a format that lends itself particularly well to reading aloud. Everyone has their own personal preference and it’s all about finding what you enjoy the most.

If you’re new to audiobooks, or you’re just looking for your next great listening-read, here are some of my personal favorites that I think are a great introduction:

2614782Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Full disclosure: I will recommend Neil Gaiman books, in any format to just about anyone who will listen to me. However, Gaiman’s works lend themselves particularly well to audiobooks as they are fluid and engrossing. Neverwhere is a particular treat because it’s read by the author and he is almost unfairly brilliant at reading aloud. Gaiman’s readings are well-paced; his voice is like smooth, velvety British toffee and he unabashedly does different characters’ voices (and accents!) without being over-the-top or melodramatic. He doesn’t read all of his audiobooks (I’ve found that if the book involves American accents, it’s usually read by another well-qualified person), but all of his audiobooks are worth listening to. This is just a good place to start.

3007527Bossypants by Tina Fey

This is another read-by-the-author gem, but Bossypants has some great nuggets in it that you would miss entirely reading the hard-copy. For example, when Fey describes her run as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, the readers get to listen to the audio track of famous skit that she did with Amy Pohler, instead of having Fey describe it or reading a transcript of the skit. In reading her own audiobook, I think because of her improv background, she is particularly skilled at telling her story with wit, inflection and excellent timing. Fey also recognizes that the images she included in her book add to the story and hers is one of the few audiobooks that includes a pdf of the images, which she references when she’s reading. The book is brilliant, but I think listening to Fey tell her own story makes it that much more interesting.

 

3585924Yes, Please by Amy Pohler

This book is similar in concept to Fey’s Bossypants, but this audiobook is a great example of how a good reading can elevate a book that might not be a shining example of it’s genre into something special. Pohler’s book is a bit disjointed and not as insightful as I was hoping it would be, but listening to this audiobook was great fun. She has “guest stars” she interacts with, including her parents and Seth Meyers, who reads the chapter he wrote for her book. There is also a terrific surprise in which she reads the last chapter to a live audience, so it feels more like stand-up comedy than an audiobook. Some of these qualities may have seemed gimmicky on other audiobooks, but they work very well in this instance.

3202394Let’s Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

If you’ve never read anything by “The Bloggess” you are in for an irreverent, riotously funny (though not safe for work) treat. I listened to this audiobook in the car and got many, many strange looks from other drivers because I was laughing so hard. To me, this is the sign of a great audiobook and Lawson’s most certainly was. It’s read by the author and her charming, mild Texas accent only enhances the experience. While hers doesn’t include a pdf, Lawson takes a moment to describe the pictures she includes in her book so that her listeners don’t feel left out. Oh, and make sure you listen all the way to the end of the audiobook. After her final chapter and acknowledgments, there is a gag reel and it is priceless!

2383088The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This is a well-told modern take on a Gothic novel that is greatly enhanced by the melodic narrator. It’s moody and atmospheric and while you’re listening to the book, you can almost feel the fogs of northern England rolling in. One narrator covers all of the different characters, but she does so deftly. Without deepening her voice in the cartoonish way some women narrators use to represent male voices, the narrator easily defines the different characters in the story so the reader can simply become absorbed in the story without wondering who is speaking or thinking what at any given time.

I hope this post has opened your eyes to some possibilities of alternative-format reading. The library is a great place for experimentation with reading types and formats because there’s no cost if you don’t like something. Just bring it back and try something else! Plus, the library is staffed with all types of readers who can help match you to what you feel like reading (or listening to) at that time. Till next week, remember that even if you’re listening to a book you’re still a reader.

 

 

In Which We Talk About Romances…

Believe it or not, the staff here at the Library have secret identities in the wider world.  Speaking for myself, I teach the history of gender and sexuality.  And while I adore both my identities, there are times when they clash…because there are a lot of people who think that feminists, especially feminists who talk about gender a lot, can’t like romance novels.  Since this week has been about celebrating what we love to read without shame, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about the romance genre.

What is at the heart of romance that makes it such a difficult genre? I mean, the covers, for one, can be a little…much.  That I will admit.  But above and beyond the Men Who Own No Shirts and the Women Who Cannot Stand Up Straight, why do romances get a bad rap?  Obviously, romances deal with issues of physical desire, but so do plenty of other genres.  Thrillers, spy novels, mysteries, adventure tales–all of these books deal with sex and love to varying extents (see: James Bond, for a prime example). But these books don’t get stigmatized because of it.  But when we are dealing with a heroine who falls in love, suddenly these books become “Those Books”.   The ones that we hide on the floor of the car, or in the bottom of a bag, or in the files on the e-readers.

Speaking academically (just for a second, I promise), the primary message of feminism is that women should be respected as individuals–that their individual goals, values, and dreams deserve the same respect and attention as men–whether that was the right to vote, the right to own property, or the right to work inside or outside the home.  In fiction, romances offer the clearest validation of the individual–especially women.  At the heart of all the best romances is validation; that what the heroine (and the hero) want in life, and in a relationship, is valid; that their goals and hopes and fears and dreams are legitimate, and that they have a right to become the very best version of themselves, because who they are is perfect. 

And that is a message that is not easy to accept.  We live in a world that tells us that we are not good enough, and, speaking as a woman, I can tell you that those messages are really, really loud.  Lose weight you’ll be more attractive.  Open up and live a little, and other people will like you.  Don’t be so open and lively, or you’ll drive them away.  Wear this mascara and you will look just like that person you always wanted people to think that you are.  Romance novels, in the end, subvert every one of those messages, and reminds us that the only way to get a happy ending is to be true to yourself and true to your own desires–and to find someone who loves you precisely as you are.  And that is pretty revolutionary, when you come to think about it.

So, rather than hiding your love for romance, let’s read them–and whatever else we want to read, as well–and let’s change the world.

For this week’s If/Thenhere are a few of my favorite romance novels, in case you are looking for a place to get started:

3092802Follow My Lead: Regardless of the fact that the heroine of this historic romance is an historian, this is one of my favorite books of all time.  Winifred is on a trans-European expedition to prove herself the author of several historic articles along with her erstwhile companion, the terribly well-meaning, but not very savvy, Jason Cummings, Duke of Rayne.  Their road trip from hell is full of ridiculous scenarios and plenty of humor, but in the end, both Win and Jason realize that they have spent their whole lives chasing other people’s ideals of what they should be, and have to find the courage to define their futures for themselves.  There aren’t too many romances where the hero and heroine get to laugh with–and at–each other, but this book gives them both the freedom to have fun.

3456931Rule: Jay Crownover’s Marked Men series is a manifesto for respecting and loving yourself for precisely who you are, and this book is a perfect example.  Rule is a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks who couldn’t care less about what people think about him–except for Shaw Landon, who was once his dead brother’s girlfriend.  But Shaw’s life is based around what other people expect of her…and it’s killing her by inches.  Both Rule and Shaw spend this book dealing with their own self-image, both physical and mental, but offer each other the tough love and unwavering support that they need to find a way to each other.

3244939One Good Earl Deserves A Lover:  I have a soft-spot in my heart for Sarah MacLean’s work for many reasons, but this book, especially, has a special place.  Lady Philippa Marbury is a scholar and an intellectual, but her duty is to marry.  So, terrified that she will never get to experience life, she seeks out Cross, the co-owner of London’s most famous gaming hell, to teach her about the darker side of life.  This book is gut-wrenchingly emotional and whimsical by turn, but there is never a moment when Philippa’s learning and social awkwardness is played for comedy, or when her intellect and individuality isn’t respected.  Indeed, it’s her brains that save the day for her and for Cross, who loves her precisely as she is–spectacles, books, and all.

3577495The Wedding Vow: Cara Connelly’s Save the Date series are all fun, but the characters in this book grabbed my attention from the very first page.  Prosecutor Maddie St. Clair knows that billionaire Adam Le Croix is an art thief, but, to her fury, she has never been able to prove it in court.  When Adam needs legal help, he turns to Maddie, knowing that she is the only person smart enough to help him.  But what starts as a familiar enemies-to-lovers, billionaire-gets-the-girl story quickly turns into something utterly unique; neither Maddie nor Adam are the people we expect them to be, and as they keep peeling away layers of themselves, and exposing their deepest secrets and worst fears, they become that much more real, and that much more deserving of their happy ending together.